


Space Cowboy

by maddestofthemad



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: I couldn't fathom those shoulders either bro, M/M, featuring catalyst and junkrat in the final chapter, five feet of pure space gay, introducing cass!, otp: space cowboy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-28
Updated: 2016-08-19
Packaged: 2018-07-27 09:04:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7612045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maddestofthemad/pseuds/maddestofthemad
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Meet Cassiopeia O'ryan.  Five feet of pure space gay and ready to get himself into shenanigans to help people.  His adopted older brother Winston is at his wits end and sends in the cavalry - the western kind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introducing Cass

**Author's Note:**

> I had a friend convince me to create an Overwatch oc who's main bio can be found on my tumblr (themaddestofthemad). Then they convinced me to ship him with someone. And, well. I'm in shipper's hell now.
> 
> Meet Cassiopeia O'ryan! The story of how he grew up and eventually met Jesse McCree. This story is nestled within current Overwatch canon as best as I can make it fit, which may become less as they add more to the story.
> 
> But, for now, it's for fun, and I hope others come to love otp: space cowboy as much as I do!

The door to Winston’s lab opened and a young man stalked in, glaring about him.  “Mum’s at it again – mind if I hide here for a bit?”

Winston didn’t pause to look up from what he was tinkering with, just sighed.  Cass groaned and flopped into a nearby office chair, promptly yelping as it spun out of control at his sudden weight.  He found himself flat on his back in an undignified sprawl, as Winston chuckled.

“Laugh it up, just see if I give you any of this,” Cass retorted with feigned dignity as he produced a jar of peanut butter.  He immediately had Winston’s attention.  “Come on, you can enjoy this while I bore you with my teenage drama.”

“I’m a teenager too, you know,” Winston said, rising from his seat and moving towards Cass.  “Is it crunchy?”

“Is it crunchy he asks,” Cass rolled his eyes, “Of course it’s crunchy, little brother – or did you think I’d completely lost my mind?”  Winston snorted.  “Don’t answer that.”  Hauling himself back up into his seat, Cass wheeled himself away from Winston’s work bench, forcing the gorilla to follow him.  When they were far enough away that Cass felt Winston wouldn’t be tempted to resume tinkering while they spoke, he tossed him the peanut butter.

Winston caught it and unscrewed the cap, grabbing a banana from a nearby table, then settled in. “Alright, here it is,” Cass sat forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his legs.  “I don’t know what to do with myself.  I graduated high school with an insane amount of college credit because I refused to graduate early so I could stay with my friends.  Friends that, upon graduation, all went off on their merry ways, and didn’t look back at their friend Cass.”  Winston grunted and looked up at him.  “Not that I blame them!”  Cass hurried to reassure Winston.  “I just didn’t expect them all to be gone so quickly.  It’s been less than a year and I’m the only one left.”

Winston sat back, holding the peanut butter jar in his feet and grabbed another banana, offering it to Cass.  Cass shook his head, then placed his head in his hands.  “I love people, Winston.  I love space and numbers and far off places, but I love people.”  Cass traced the lines of the galaxy tattoos upon his arms.  “And I’m terrible at finding new ones.”

Winston threw the banana at Cass, laughing as it nearly hit him in the face.  “So don’t find new ones.”  Cass stared at him, dumbfounded. 

“Don’t…find…new ones?”  He blinked, Winston shrugged and started peeling another banana.  “You mean I could work here,” Cass reasoned aloud, realization hitting him as he sat a little straighter.  “I basically grew up here – you’re here, mum’s here…I’d just have to get my degree and I could come back here.  I could work with _you!_ ” He shouted the last, rising to his feet he was so excited.  “With all my credits I could be done in two years! Maybe I’ll go to graduate school, maybe not but – either way we could work on my gravity boots, my portal gun – you know I’ve got those specs partially written up, but I’ve been meaning to have you look at them – mum would _flip_ if I worked here!” he started pacing back and forth, his clothing billowing around him.  Winston watched him, still eating his banana.

“Why didn’t I think of this before?  Mum’s hinted at wanting me to stay close to home, but I always thought…come to think of it,” Cass muttered, tapping his chin, “this might be what she intended all along.”

“It is,” Cass stopped in his pacing to stare at Winston.

“Really?”

Winston nodded, capping the peanut butter and setting it aside.  Rising to his feet, he strode over to Cass, stooping to meet his eyes.  “She was just waiting for you to realize where your true family is,” Winston said.  Reaching up, he adjusted the glasses on his nose with a smile, then clapped Cass on the shoulder.  Cass winced a little.  “Now, what college did you have in mind?”

Cass’ stunned expression melted to excited, then nervous in seconds.  “Oh _no_ ,” he moaned, “I hadn’t even begun thinking about that!  What am I going to do?” he dramatically threw himself at his chair once more – his yelp proving he had already forgotten it possessed wheels.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Everything hurt.  His ankle felt like it was on fire, his side like someone had jabbed a piece of wood into it, and…he groaned.  His head felt like someone had been using it as a baseball.

“Easy, kid, I got ya.”  The voice sounded muffled in his pounding head.  “Quite a beating you took,” the voice continued, “good thing you got friends that look out for ya.  And I wasn’t busy.”

Friends.

Cass frowned, trying to sort through his aching thoughts.  Friends.

Winston….

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“ – mom’s going to Swiss headquarters in a few weeks.”

“Swiss HQ?  What for?”  Cass pushed away from his desk, his rolling chair taking him across the small dorm room and within reach of a large bag of chips on his bed.  He scooted back, adjusting his webcam so his face was more clear to his brother.

“She’s got a few experiments she has to run by some people,” Winston said, pulling a jar of peanut butter from off screen.

“Well, whatever she’s doing, tell her to be careful.  I’ve been hearing some rumors that Gabe and Jack are at it again.”

Winston grunted but didn’t respond, instead he began peeling a banana.

“Cheer up, Winston – I’ll be home invading your lab before you know it!”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Overwatch is _gone_ , Cass!  It’s gone and it isn’t coming back!” Cass’ mom shouted at him, “I won’t see you fall into the same pit as the others!”

“It’s been six months, mum!  This is what I went to school for!  I can’t just sit around and do nothing!” Cass was standing in his childhood home, facing his mother’s tear-streaked face, graduation cap on the table between them.

“So you’ll just throw your life away?  You’ll become a criminal?  For what!  I may have made it out of that explosion, but a lot of others didn’t!  Is that what you want?  To die?  To die like Ja–”

Cass slammed his hand down on the table, his palm hitting the polished granite with a resounding _smack!_   In the quiet that followed, he recited softly, “’To protect those who can’t protect themselves.’  Those were his words.  What _he_ and _every single one of them_ taught me.  What _you_ taught me.  The world may not see it now, but it still needs heroes.  And if, for now, all they get is me – so be it.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 “This is a bad idea, Cass,” Winston grumbled for the hundredth time over their video call.

“Someone’s gotta do it,” Cass said, pulling his shirt over his head.  For a moment his face was lost amidst the vibrant fabric, speckled with stars, and he looked something like a flailing, space covered monster.  Then his head emerged and the whole outfit came together with his tattoos glowing softly in the dim light.

Winston sighed, “You don’t have the training – and what if someone recognizes you?”

Cass scrunched his nose and stuck his tongue out, “That’s why I’m doing – this!” with an elegant flourish, he removed his glasses and set them beside his computer. 

Winston stared at him a moment, then shook his head.  “Your gravity boots aren’t ready, you haven’t fixed the over-heating iss - ”

“Winston, mate,” Cass leaned in toward the camera, “you’re my best friend, but you aren’t stopping me.  Tell mum I love her, I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Cass, wait - !”

The screen went black.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“You’re back with us.”

The pain was slightly less this time; his ankle throbbed dully, his side only hurt when he breathed, and his head only ached.

“Debata – ow,” Cass winced as his voice banged in his own ears, “debatable,” he repeated more softly.

A low chuckle reached his ears, the sound warmed him all over.  “I’m not too good with the healing,” the man continued, “so you’re gonna have to tell me how you feel.  And whether I need to have Winston call Doc Ziegler.”

“Doc Zieg -?” Cass shot into a sitting position, crying out as his entire body protested the sudden movement.

“Whoa, whoa!  Easy there, Sparkles!”  Two hands came into his blurred line of sight as Cass gasped, his hand clutching his side.  “I’d rather _not_ have to call the Doc!”

Through watering eyes and stabs of pain, Cass finally made himself look up.  His heart nearly stopped.  “Je-Jesse M-Mc-McCree?” he stammered.  “How – what – when - ?”  He didn’t fight as the legendary cowboy gently pushed him back down onto the bed.

Bed?

“Where am I?” Cass asked, his voice pitched slightly higher as he stared.  Jesse was wearing a rather tight white tank top, and Cass couldn’t seem to fathom the shape of the man’s shoulders.

Jesse sighed, scratching the back of his neck.  “A safe house.  I had Winston set it up for me when he asked me to come check on you.  As for how – well, I’m not sure what you walked in to, but Winston got worried and called me.  Lucky for you, I was nearby.”

Cass continued to stare.  Jesse sighed again.  Quickly, trying to think past the knock to his head, Cass tried to remember what had happened.

There had been a rumored shipment of something, something related to Talon?  He wasn’t sure.  He hadn’t figured out the full connection, but he’d figured out where the shipment was going to be and he…

“Mum is going to kill me,” he groaned.

Jesse laughed, and Cass found his eyes drawn back to the man’s face.  Cass had grown up around Overwatch, but McCree was part of Blackwatch.  Cass’ mom had done all she could to keep Cass from Reyes and his men, but McCree also worked with Jack, so Cass had seen him at a distance a few times.  A few times had been enough.

A flush painted Cass’ cheeks.  “So…this is… _your_ bed?”

Jesse raised an eyebrow, his lips quirking to the side.  Cass’ heart thudded a little harder in his chest.  “Did you want the floor?”

“No – I – th-thank you!  I just didn’t…thank you,” he closed his eyes against the humiliation.

Jesse shook his head, looking the young man over.  He was in better shape than Jesse expected, considering the state he had found him in – out cold in an alley, drenched, broken ankle, cracked ribs, and quite a knot on his head. 

“So,” Jesse stood and walked to a nearby table, retrieving a steaming mug of something before reclaiming his seat.  “How are you feeling?”

Carefully this time, so as not to jar his injuries, Cass pushed himself into a sitting position and accepted the offered cup.  Taking a careful whiff, he smiled up at Jesse.

“Someone taught you to make tea,” he commented, sipping the delicious drink.

Jesse smiled, “I’ve got a trick or two,” he said.  “You still didn’t give me an answer.”

Wrapping his hands around the cup, Cass half-shrugged.  “Beat up, but nothing to call the Doc over.  Don’t want to drag her in to all of this, wherever she is.  More I just feel like an idiot.”

Jesse watched Cass as he continued to drink the tea.  It seemed to be bringing some of the color back to his face, which was comforting.  Jesse had been shocked at the state he had found Cass in, not because he hadn’t seen worse, but because Jesse had seen Cass before - before everything had changed.  Back then, Cass had been full of bright colors and smiles.  What he had found in the alleyway had almost been a ghost. 

Now, however, as the color returned, Cass’ tattoos danced into being across his skin.  Stars painted his face, accenting the deep green galaxies of his eyes.  Jesse snorted a little and shook his head at that thought.  He didn’t notice Cass watching him just as intently over the rim of his mug.  Instead, Jesse let his eyes trace the swirls of galaxies and nebulae that adorned Cass’ arms – arms that held an impressive amount of muscle for someone he had been told was a lab junkie.  Cass reached up, running his fingers through his hair gently and grimacing.

“There’s a bump the size of my fist on the back of your head,” Jesse commented, leaning back in his chair as he continued to assess the man.  “Why an idiot?”  Jesse crossed his arms.

Cass shrugged again.  “Because I should have listened to Winston.  I should have listened to my mum.  I’m not trained, and I’m lucky I wasn’t killed.”  Cass closed his eyes, his hands clenched around his mug.  “I’ve been moving towards this at full speed for so long, I missed a lot of things along the way.  After I finished my masters I thought I had all the answers,” he bit his lip, “Winston was right.  But…” he trailed off.

“But - ?” Jesse prompted.

“But it wouldn’t change the fact that someone needs to do it.  Overwatch…it’s gone.  Who knows if it’s coming back.  But what they did – what _you_ did, it _mattered_.”  Cass’ eyes opened, they were fixed on a place far away, his hands shook.

“So you’d go out and risk your neck, for what?  For nothing?” Jesse was watching the young man closely now, a frown that wasn’t quite a frown on his face.

“No.  Not for nothing.”  Cass looked up, his eyes locking with Jesse’s.  For a moment, the cowboy forgot to breathe as the intensity of that gaze hit him.  “To protect those that can’t protect themselves.”  The words echoed in Jesse’s ears.  For a moment, he was brought to the past, where two leaders stood before him, offering him a second chance.  Jesse stared at Cass, struck by the familiar determination he saw there.

Cass some something flit over Jesse’s face as the silence stretched on.  He looked away, finishing his tea.  “Thank you for saving me,” he said.  “I’m not sure how I can repay you.”

Jesse reached over and took the empty mug from him, gesturing for him to lay back down.  Closing his eyes, Cass sighed.  It wasn’t the worst place to be; good tea, warm bed, legendary and unfairly attractive cowboy…even if he did feel like he’d been used for batting practice.

As he began to drift off, Jesse spoke, “Oh, trust me, Sparkles.  I’m sure I can think of something.  If you can still stand the sight of me once I’ve trained you up a bit.” 

Cass didn’t have time to process that, before Jesse’s laugh washed over him, and he was fast asleep.


	2. Equipment Check

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cass is slightly more mobile now, and Jesse wants to see how Cass plans to take on the world as a vigilante.

“So what have you got for me today?”  Cass asked, leaning against the doorframe to his living room.  Jesse looked up from his perch on the arm of the couch, gun in hand as he cleaned it.  Cass fought to keep his attention on the man’s face, and not what his hands were doing.

“Well,” Jesse began, without looking up from his work, “with your ankle still out, we’re going to go over your equipment.”

Cass nearly choked, but managed to turn it into a cough – one that his still healing ribs protested.  “M-my equipment?”

Jesse sighed, “Yeah, Sparkles – you told me about those boots of yours, I wanna see ‘em.  And that gun of yours while you’re at it.”

Cass frowned, but decided it was better to follow instructions.  Jesse _had_ saved his life after all, and if he wanted a peak at his equipment, well, Cass felt he was entitled.  He grinned at that thought, then limped into the bedroom to retrieve his tech.

“You’re too small to be much good up close,” Jesse spoke form the other room, “but you look fast, and your coordination seems fine.  Which means quick attacks, in and out like.  And for that, you need to make sure this tech of yours is in top condition.”  As Cass approached, Jesse set his gun down and stretched, his tank top pulling up as he rolled the muscles in his neck and shoulders.  Cass’ eyes trailed over the gleaming metal of Jesse’s left arm, his fingers itching; he’d wanted a look at it since he’d regained his senses, but was too scared to ask.

“Alright, Sparkles.  What’ve you got?”  Jesse held out his hand and Cass obligingly handed over one of his boots.

“Anti-gravity.  I can adjust the pulses enough that I can float, run up a wall – briefly – or put on a burst of speed at need.  A bit like skates.”  Cass gently sat himself in the chair across from Jesse, wincing as he lifted his ankle to rest on the table.  “I could also jump off a roof and land…if I could solve the overheating issue.”

Jesse raised an eyebrow.

“Yes,” Cass answered the silent question with a sigh, “that is exactly what happened.”

Jesse chuckled, “You got nerve, Sparkles.  I like it.”  Cass flushed.  “The gun?”

Cass pushed it across the table and shrugged.  “It’s based off of the tech similar to Vishkars.  I can’t light-bend, so I had to find a way around it.  But I was able to manipulate the energies in a way to allow a…a wormhole, for lack of a better descriptor, between two points.  Unfortunately, because it _isn’t_ light-bending, the distance traveled is limited, and the duration short.  Good for hops, mostly.”

“Hm…” Jesse turned the gun over in his hands, fingers finding every bump and crevice, inspecting it expertly.  “The balance is a little off, we can work on that.  What about offense?”  He set the gun down and turned his full attention back to Cass.

Cass bit his lip and ran his hand through his hair.  Jesse’s eyes followed the movement and he sat a little straighter.  “That’s part of my problem.  I could modify the portal gun so that it could fire short bursts of condensed particles, but they wouldn’t be very powerful.  The gun wouldn’t be able to handle it if they were.”

“Calculation issues?” Jesse asked.

“It’s possible,” Cass said, “I’d have to talk to Winston.  Or devote about a month’s worth of work to figuring it out myself.  I would’ve done that before, but…” he looked down, his hands fidgeting in his lap.

Jesse’s chuckle made him look up.  “Not a patient one, are you?” Cass turned beat red.  Jess shook his head and smiled.  Cass was an interesting sort.  In the month or so he’d been helping him get back on his feet, Jesse had come to appreciate the enthusiasm he found in Cass.  He reflected so many of the good aspects of what Overwatch had been, with a hardened moral stance behind every opinion.  It was something that, towards the end, Overwatch had begun to lose.  Or at least, Blackwatch had.  He frowned.

Cass leaned forward, tilting his head to get a better look at him.  “What?  What’s that look for?”

“Nothin’,” Jesse stood, forcing Cass to look up – and up and up.  It was quite a view.  “Your tech is good, and we’ve got that month you need.  Better get to work, Sparkles.”  He moved toward the kitchen, “I’ll start on dinner.”

Cass sighed, slouching back in his chair to stare at his equipment.  “’Nothing’ my ass,” he grumbled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes, that was meant to have innuendo in it. He IS five feet of pure space gay.
> 
> Also, I do have Cass planned out as an 'in-game' character as well. I'm still ironing out the details however (such as what his offensive weapon is). And I am aware that a lot of his abilities are similar to others (hence the mention of vishkar). 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it!


	3. A Persuasive Hat Trick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cass decides he's had enough of Jesse avoiding the subject and decides to have a sit down with him.

“We’ve had this conversation before, mum, my answer isn’t going to change,” Cass’ voice drifted from the bedroom to where Jesse sat on the arm of the couch.  He was frowning as he went over his revolver with a cloth, cleaning it meticulously.  Cass sighed and Jesse could hear the tell-tale tapping of his fingers that meant he was annoyed.  “Love you too, mum,” Cass said, and Jesse heard him put the phone down.  “You can stop pretending not to eavesdrop now,” Cass announced as he walked into the living room.

“Who me?” Jesse grinned.  “Not often I get to hear you so amenable.” 

Cass made a face, “Mother’s have that effect.”

“On that you’re certainly right,” Jesse laughed, “Ana was just the same.”

Cass watched as Jesse’s face stilled, and a smaller smile took the place of his grin.  Reaching over, he plucked Jesse’s hat from his head, then fell into the chair across from him, spinning it in his hands.

“Hey, now,” Jesse cautioned, “taking a man’s hat is a serious offense, Sparkles.”  Cass quirked an eyebrow, then coyly put the hat on his own head.  “Hey!  You’re gonna get glitter all over that!”  Cass’ grin widened and he slouched further in the chair, letting the hat fall forward over his eyes.  Jesse couldn’t help but laugh at the sight, “A lil big for ya, it would seem.”

“I don’t mind,” Cass said, just his lips visible under the brim.

“But I do,” Jesse got up and reached for the hat.

It happened so fast Jesse almost missed it – the benefit of his training no doubt.  One minute he was reaching for his hat, the next he was in the chair Cass had previously occupied, and Cass was straddling him, a wicked smile on his lips, the hat pushed back to reveal those deep green eyes.

“What’re y’doing, Sparkles?” Jesse asked softly.

Cass sat back a little, looking down at Jesse for the first time since they’d met.  It was quite a view.  “Jesse McCree,” he pouted a little, “I do believe you’re making me try too hard.”  Jesse looked away, flushing slightly.  “If I was at all sure this wasn’t what you wanted, I would stop right this second,” Cass continued, “fortunately for both of us, I know this isn’t about me.  Not personally.”

Jesse’s hands clenched, then relaxed ever so slightly.  “Oh?” he couldn’t bring himself to look into Cass’ eyes.  “So what do you know, Sparkles?”

Cass raised a finger, the tattoos on his arm glowing ever so slightly in the dim light.  “One; I know that Overwatch gave you a second chance you never thought you deserved,” Jesse’s jaw tightened.  “Two; I know that you lost a lot of friends when it fell.  Three,” Cass raised the last finger, “I know you blame yourself for it.”  Cass watched as Jesse fought to keep himself under control. 

“Anything else?” the cowboy managed to growl.

Cass leaned forward, gently cupping the side of Jesse’s face.  He held still until Jesse looked at him.  “Four,” he whispered, their lips inches from each others, “I know it wasn’t your fault.”  Jesse looked away, but not before Cass saw in his eyes that he had hit home.  “It wasn’t your fault, Jesse,” he repeated, not moving.

“You don’t know that.”

“But I know you.”

“Do you?”  Jesse finally looked at him again, and the look in his eyes made Cass’ heart ache.

“I do.”

“You remind me of him,” Jesse said softly.  He raised a hand, as if to touch Cass’ cheek, but stopped and let it fall at his side again.  “Jack.  You’re just as stubborn.”

Cass smiled, “It’s part of my charm.”

“I lost a lot of friends when Overwatch fell, Sparkles,” Jesse said, watching Cass carefully now.

“I lost a lot of my family,” Cass pushed the hat further back so he could see Jesse more easily.  “That doesn’t mean we have to be alone, Jesse.”  He reached out, starting slightly as Jesse grabbed his wrist.

“I ain’t one to be tied down,” Jesse said in a voice that rumbled like thunder.

“Don’t I know it,” Cass breathed. 

“ _Sparkles_ – ”

“No, shit, cowboy.  It’s part of _your_ charm.  I’m not out to change you.”

“I need you to be serious,” Jesse said.

“Jesse McCree, I have been serious this whole time.”

“I’m too old for you.”

Cass laughed, “Maybe two years ago you could have used that line, but it doesn’t apply anymore.  I’m old enough.”

“I’m no good for you,” Jesse looked down.

“Who said I wanted you to be?” Cass asked, leaning towards him a little bit, shifting his weight on Jesse’s lap.  Jesse flushed as Cass placed a hand against the chair next to his head, flexing the hand Jesse still gripped.

“I trained you to keep you alive,” Jesse said, trying to find one more excuse, “bein’ around me ain’t gonna ensure that.”

“Not your choice,” Cass countered.  “And possibly not true either.  You’re not going to convince me not to love you,” Cass’ voice cracked and Jesse looked up, startled at the emotion displayed on the man’s face.  “I’m not stupid, Jesse.  I know what I’m getting in to, and I know what I feel.  If you’d stop and take a look at yourself, I think you’d find you feel it too.  I can see what this has been doing to you,” Cass smiled at him sadly, “stop playing the Lone Ranger.  Let me help remind you that not everything fails.”

Jesse stared at him, his eyes tracing every line of Cass’ face, his heart stampeding in his chest.  “I’m so tired,” he choked out, his breath coming faster.

“I know.  Let me help.”

Jesse pulled gently on the wrist he held, tugging Cass toward him.  Smiling, Cass let himself be pulled forward.  He leaned in, his free hand burying itself in Jesse’s hair as their lips finally met, and they melted in to one another.

“You’re not keeping the hat,” Jesse said when they broke for air.

“I’d like to see you try and stop me,” Cass retorted, his eyes lit with fire.

“Your mother is going to kill me,” Jesse breathed heavily.

“Let’s _not_ discuss that right this second,” Cass replied, before silencing Jesse with another kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi yes I died writing this why can't I art better


	4. Space Cowboy and the Dynamic Duo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been 3 years since Jesse and Cass met, and 2 since they started dating. Cass has developed a new type of offensive weapon and needs to test it, so Jesse tags along.
> 
> Little do they know that two Junkers are about to crash their party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Catalyst uses they/them pronouns and is an oc created by fischotterchen on tumblr.

“You don’t even know if it’ll work,” Jesse accused, his eyes locked on the convoy making its way down the street.  From his vantage point on a rooftop he could track its progress while his partner – both in crime and out of, technically speaking – crouched, hunched over a piece of tech that was sparking ominously.  The nice thing was that the sparks lit the glitter speckling the man’s hair, the bad thing was that it was still spitting electricity.

“That’s why we call it an experiment,” Cass replied, flicking a metal hinge shut and smiling as the gun hummed in his hands.  He looked up, smiling at the way Jesse’s hat was tilted back, giving him a perfect view of the man’s eyes.  Mutual appreciation of physical aesthetics was a large part of their relationship, it was a wonder the two men didn’t get blown up more often due to staring at each other.

“Sparkles – ” Jesse sighed.

“Don’t ‘sparkles’ me, cowboy.  It needs to be tested and this shipment needs to be stopped – you got any better ideas?”  Cass’ eyebrows knit together as he glared.

Jesse raised his hands in defeat, then looked back toward the street.  “You’re more stubborn than a mule,” he muttered.

“It’s part of my charm, darling,” Cass leaned forward, kissing Jesse’s cheek.

“You always say that,” Jesse rumbled.

“Am I wrong?” 

“…no.” 

Cass smirked.

“Alright, Sparkles,” Jesse relented, “How do you wanna do th – ”

Screeching tires echoed down the street, easily audible over the low vibration of the convoy.  Cass’ head snapped up and he eased himself forward so he could look over Jesse’s shoulder.  Just as the trucks entered the area below their position, a jeep came screaming in to view down the road – heading right for their target. 

“What in the – ” Jesse didn’t finish his thought as a crazed cackle filled the night.

“They’re going to ram them!” Cass hissed, his eyes wide.

“No they’re not,” Jesse countered, peering at the jeep as it careened down the way. 

The men guarding the convoy were shouting and scrambling like ants to try and get a shot.  The first explosion hit a few feet in front of the jeep but the driver swerved in time.  A soot-caked head of hair popped up from the back seat, accompanied by that bone-chilling laugh.  The figure hefted a large gun into his hands and took aim.

“Move!”  Jesse shoved Cass aside, toward the portal shimmering behind them.  They both tumbled through, and for a moment the world inverted.

As everything crashed back into place, Jesse and Cass stumbled onto the street a ways down from the attack site – right as the jeep went flying by and the building they had recently vacated smoked alarmingly.  Cass stared after the jeep.

“Was that a _Canadian_ flag?” he asked.

Jesse’s mouth was hanging slightly open.  “Were those _Junkers?_ ”

“In England?” Cass asked incredulously.

Jesse reached up, scratching his head and knocking his hat askew.  “Well this could be mighty interesting.”

A shout caught their attention and the two men looked up.  The guards on the convoy had finally noticed their presence – just in time for the jeep and its occupants to execute a teeth rattling spin and head back in their direction.

“Well,” Cass grinned, knocking his boots together and activating them, “this should be interesting.”

“Shall we?” Jesse held out his hand to the shorter man.

Gracefully placing his hand in Jesse’s and leaning back, Cass nodded.  “Why not?”

With a mighty heave, Jesse spun, keeping his hold on Cass’ hand.  As the fabric of Cass’ outfit billowed it seemed to melt him into the shadows, the only indication of his presence the flash of a rainbow sparkling as the underside of the fabric came into view.  As he spun, Cass bent his knees, digging his heels into the lift of his boots, skating on air.  At the pivot point, Jesse grunted, putting all his weight behind the movement, and throwing Cass into the air.  With a loud whoop, Cass twisted, firing his gun off just in front of himself, and disappeared into a newly created portal.

Jesse grinned, tipping his hat back as he watched.  “Don’ think I’ll ever get tired of that,” he said.  Taking his revolver from its holster, he started to jog up the street, keeping an eye out for the tell-tale flicker of Cass’ portals.

“Hey!”  Jesse turned, his arm coming up just in time.  A gunshot reverberated through the night, but the bullet glanced off of his arm, scratching its surface.

“Hey, now,” Jesse growled at the quickly paling guard, “that’s not very nice.”  He snapped his arm out, firing and taking down the guard before he could blink.  As another came up on his side he ducked and rolled, slamming his back into one of the stopped cars.  Popping up, he fired off another shot, then ducked back down and began looking around for Cass. 

“… _fell in to a burning ring of fire…_ ”

Jesse blinked, then carefully looked around the edge of his cover.  Taking down another guard, he watched as the jeep skidded back into view, music blasting from the rolled down windows.

“Light ‘em up, babe!”

“With pleasure!”

More explosions lit up the street and Jesse scrambled to get out of the way.

“Well they certainly like to party.”

Jesse jumped, spinning.

“Easy!  Just me!”  Cass was standing in front of one of his portals, watching the carnage that took the guard’s attention off of them for a moment.

“Damnit, Cass – make some noise, would you?” Jesse growled.

Cass raised an eyebrow, “I think that’s counterintuitive.”

“Whatever it is, I’d just rather not shoot ya, y’hear?” 

Cass smiled, but didn’t respond. 

“They’re going to blow the whole place up,” Jesse observed as the fire started to inch its way towards them.

“Not necessarily a bad thing,” Cass said.

“It is if that payload gets away,” Jesse pointed at said payload, its wheels beginning to turn as it made a break for escape.

Cass raised his gun, flipping a switch on its side with an ever-widening grin on his lips.  “Oh, it’s not going anywhere.”

Holstering his gun, Jesse leaned over and kissed Cass.  “Ready?”

Cass jumped up, his boots giving him enough lift to settle into Jesse’s arms.  “Ready.”

“Save a horse – ” Jesse said.

“Ride a cowboy!”  Cass grinned.

Jesse threw with all his might as Cass tucked himself into a ball, soaring over the disabled vehicles, straight in the direction of the escaping payload.  Flipping in the air, Cass fired off his untested gun.

Streaks of light shot from the barrel, racing towards the car.  The first two shots hit the back tires, melting them instantly.  The smell of burnt rubber filled the air as the third shot hit the back windshield and rebounded, clipping Cass in the shoulder.  With a shout he flipped his gun back to portal setting and fired – falling through the opening in midair.

“Cass!”  Jesse took off running as the payload stopped, the Junker jeep bearing down on it, Canadian flag flying like a cape from one of the roll bars.

The telltale flicker of one of Cass’ portals could be seen in the back seat.

“Oi!  Who the hell’re you?” the Australian accent confused Cass for a moment as he tumbled out of the portal into the back seat of the strange vehicle.  He looked up – straight into the barrel of a grenade launcher.

“Uh,” he said intelligently, his gaze going up – and up, and up.  “Wow you’re tall,” he squeaked.

“Best answer his question!” someone shouted from the front seat as the jeep swerved, throwing Cass against the door.

“Name’s Orion!” he held up his hands, “I think we’re on the same team!”

“I don’t do teams,” the man bent over, peering at Cass, a giggle shaking his shoulders.

Something thumped above them.  “And I don’t do Junkers,” Jesse’s drawl came from above.  Cass and the other man looked up to see Jesse, perched atop the jeep, revolver trained on the stranger.

“Could you all do this dance _later?_ ” the driver yelled, “We’re a little busy!”  The jeep jerked to the side, nearly dislodging Jesse.  “Babe!”  The stranger raised his head, cackling as he saw the last line of guards surrounding the payload.  “We’re too far for a sticky!”

Struggling to his feet and ignoring the sharp prickling in his shoulder, Cass climbed into the front passenger side of the jeep.  “Here,” he tweaked the settings on his gun, then aimed it at the dash.  Grenades launched over their heads for covering fire.

“Whoa!  Don’t go blowing up my ride!”

“I’m _not_ , just – oh bloody hell, just watch,” Cass fired, and a small portal appeared.  An identical flicker lit over the guard’s heads.  “Toss it!”  With a frown, the driver unlatched a glass flask from their bandolier and lobbed it through.  A startled cry followed by a flash indicated the guards were now busy with other matters.

“My turn,” Jesse hooked a boot around one of the bars, straightening to his full height.  “It’s high noon,” he drawled with a grin.  Cass felt a shiver down his spine and then the revolver went off.  Half the guards fell as Jesse dropped into the jeep, glaring at the man still standing over him with a grenade launcher.  “It’s not polite to point that at people,” he said.

“I’m not overly polite,” the man snarled.  “And it’s three in the morning, not noon.”

“Boys, please!”  The driver looked over their shoulder, “I’m Catalyst, this is Junkrat – there, introductions done now – would you please _light them up?_ ”

Junkrat’s face split into a smirk, “With pleasure, kitty Cat.”

“I’m Orion, as I said, that’s McCree – here Junk,” Cass fiddled with his gun a bit more.  They were getting close to the guards now, Catalyst had taken a path as not-straight as possible, giving them time to prep.  Firing his gun, Cass created a portal in the back seat.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Junkrat grinned, pulling a tire from his back.

“What in the – ” Jesse began.

“ _Start your engines_ ,” Junkrat pulled on a chain and the tire roared to life, disappearing through the portal.

For one moment, everything was silent.

Cass shared a look with Jesse and they both half-stood, trying to get a view of the payload.  Catalyst grinned back at Junkrat, their hair flying in the wind whipping past as they hit the accelerator.

“Fire in the hole,” they whispered.

All hell broke loose.

The explosion was so loud and bright, Cass cringed.  When he looked back, it took him a moment to realize that the fireball twenty feet in the air was actually the payload – and they were right on track for it to land on them.

“Hold on!”  Catalyst yanked the steering wheel, and Junkrat whooped as he slammed into the roll bars, lighting off a few more grenades as they flew past the wreckage.  The tires squealed and then the jeep jerked to a stop.  “My turn.”  Reaching down, Junkrat helped pull Catalyst up on top of the vehicle.  “Hope you brought an umbrella!”

“Why would we need – ” Cass began, then stopped as he spotted the pack sitting between him and the driver’s seat.  The chemical pack.  The rather _large_ chemical pack.  “Oh, bloody – ”

Catalyst held up the tool attached to the pack, and let loose a shower of acid rain.  The rest of the guards screamed and scattered, as what remained of the payload melted into the ground.

“Well,” Catalyst dropped back into their seat, looking at the two newcomers.  “That was fun,” they grinned, bouncing a little as they started the jeep back down the road, the smoking debris of the fight fading behind them.

Jesse and Cass just stared.

“Ah, I never get tired of watching you work,” Junkrat crooned, leaning down and kissing Catalyst’s forehead.

“Likewise, babe,” Catalyst smiled.

“Who _are_ you two?” Cass finally managed to ask.

“Junkers,” Jesse growled, eyeing both of them.  “Catalyst and Junkrat – quite a bounty on your heads, I hear.”

Junkrat froze, then turned slowly to face Jesse.  “Oi, mate.  You wanna have a tumble?”

Jesse rolled his eyes, “Thank you kindly, but no.  I try not to kill people that saved Orion’s life.”  Cass flushed.  “How’s the shoulder, Sparkles?”

Cass shrugged, “Not bad.  Gonna have to work on the heat index if I want to be able to avoid a repeat.”

Jesse was still watching Junkrat from beneath the brim of his hat.  “Reckon we owe the two of you,” he said.

“Oh, you reckon, eh?” Catalyst grinned, reaching for the audio control on the dash.

“We both do,” Cass replied earnestly, “you’re both amazing!”

“Well thank you, thank you very much,” Catalyst said, earning a snicker from Junkrat as the music kicked back on.

“ _The warden threw a party at the county jail.  The prison band was there and they began to wail…_ ”

Jesse crossed his arms, keeping an eye on Cass as they drove off into the night.


End file.
